crusader
Americannoun
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Often Crusader a participant in any of the crusades or military expeditions undertaken with papal sanction by the Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries in an effort to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.
Orders of monks who were also knights became the "storm troops" of the Christian crusaders.
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a participant in any vigorous movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc..
Nepal's most prominent crusader for equal rights for sexual minorities was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Etymology
Origin of crusader
Explanation
A crusader is a person who works hard or campaigns forcefully for a cause. Most crusaders advocate dramatic social or political change. You can call a fierce champion for a cancer cure a crusader, and another kind of crusader could be an activist who works for school reform. Crusaders tend to be radical or at least progressive, embracing some kind of change. Crusader comes from crusade, which meant "campaign against a public evil" in the 18th century, but which earlier referred mainly to the religious-based military Crusades of the Middle Ages.
Vocabulary lists containing crusader
Crash
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Matilda
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The Door in the Wall
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But unlike that Oscar winner, “Two Prosecutors” has a man of conscience at its center — a confident crusader who becomes increasingly puny in the face of Stalin’s Soviet Union.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Born in Seoul in 1960, months before a military coup, Yoon studied law and went on to become a public prosecutor and anti-corruption crusader.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
Ackman’s profile has risen beyond Wall Street since he became an outspoken social crusader and aligned himself with figures including President Trump and Elon Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
He has also shown a willingness to court controversy, notably with his pick of antitrust crusader Lina Khan to help lead his transition team.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025
Royal had read of the man’s exploits in the newspaper—lawyer, abolitionist crusader, bane of slavers and those who did their dirty work.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
